Holidays are the most wonderful time of the year! Right? Right?! Well for many, holidays can be a source of anxiety and stress and sometimes depression. On top of our already-busy lifestyles we are expected to be put on a happy face, to be cheerful and bright, and to spend extra money to buy gifts and attend or throw parties.

Reasons holidays can be stressful include:

Financial strain of buying gifts

Finding time to buy gifts

Increased traffic on the roads

Crowded stores

Trying to find a parking spot at the mall

Wrapping gifts

Mailing gifts

Baking

Keeping up holiday traditions

Added social obligations such as parties and family get-togethers

Finding the perfect Christmas tree

Decorating for the holidays

Missing loved ones that have passed on or moved away

Remembering the “good old days”

Four words: Elf on the Shelf!

Having to see relatives that we’ve successfully managed to avoid the rest of the year

Traveling

Baby, it’s cold outside! And dark!

Cleaning your house for guests

Sharing a bathroom with relatives (ie: houseguests)

The bills that come after the holiday shopping is done

During all this added stress, it’s important to take time to take care of yourself! WebMD says, “Seventy-five percent to 90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints. Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.” So, stress during the holidays is nothing to ignore.

When I was 8 years old my father had a heart attack on Christmas eve. His arm and chest hurt, he was turning a grayish/greenish color and still he insisted on driving himself to the hospital to get checked out. He even took the scenic route to look at Christmas lights along the way! Since then my family has had many health emergencies during the holidays such as broken limbs, falls, knee injuries, brain tumors, the list goes on and on (and I haven’t even mentioned the plumbing emergencies!). It’s hard to not think of these things every year when the lights glow against the sparkling snow. Or on a green Christmas like the year when my dad had his heart attack.

That was the first year that my holiday traditions were interrupted. We woke up Christmas morning without my dad in the house. Instead we visited him in a hospital bed for two weeks and brought him a single present each day he was there. That was probably my first introduction to the concept that the true meaning of Christmas is sharing the love that you have for people that you care about with them. The rest is just fluff.

So, back to the stress thing. You may feel the need to bake 18 dozen of your famous Christmas cookies year after year, but what happens when you choose not to for just this year? You may find that you have more time to spend with the people you were baking for instead of fattening them up with empty calories. Or that someone bakes for you instead because they want to show you that they care for you too.

Once you’ve asked yourself all these questions, you may decide to continue the tradition this year, or you could decide to say, “No! Not this year!” Whatever you decide, the important thing is to realize that you do have a choice. The power is within you to do what makes sense for you now.

Okay, that all sounds great, but it may take a few years to come to that point. Until then, here’s some things you can do to reduce stress during the holidays, or at least cope with it:

Simplify your plans as much as possible so you’re not running all over the place to please others

Get some exercise!

Meditation/Quiet Time. Just take some time each day to be still and not worry about what you have to do next

Learn to say NO! (worth mentioning again)

Have everyone bring a dish to pass instead of making ALL the food

Here I am enjoying a Christmas-y mani-pedi. It. Was. Wonderful!

The main thing is to just take care of yourself. Slow down and appreciate the beauty of this season. No one remembers the presents, they remember your presence instead. Make your presence the present this year and see how much better you feel!

Emily is a Web Whiz, Blogger, Speaker, Student, and Mom. She is the owner of WhizBang! Web Solutions LLC, and the founder of Marvy Moms. She loves working from home so that she can be there for every possible moment with her son, JW.
Learning as she goes, Emily breastfed, bought cloth diapers (but never used them), made her son’s baby food, had a family bed for nearly two years, and loves spending time with her son.
Emily is a certified Level II Reiki practitioner and offers her services both in-person and remotely to people interested in this energetic healing modality. Emily is currently enrolled as a student at the American Academy of Homeopathy to become a Certified Classical Homeopath and has earned a diploma in botanical medicine at Botanical Medicine Institute. She is also a Certified Aromatherapist, and received her training from Aromahead Institute.